Review of the Amazon Echo

Virtual assistants have been developing at an exponential rate. We feel the best smart virtual assistant is Alexa from Amazon. Bare in mind, you need to have a device that has the Alexa technology included in order to use this assistant. One of these is the Amazon Echo and the Echo Dot. The Echo Dot is broadly similar to the full Echo version, but it doesn’t have a speaker.

So what do we think of the Echo?

We love it! When you want to ask the device a question, just say “Alexa”, then ask your question or give a command. This will wake the system up, making it ready to accept your instructions that you will provide by voice.

What does it do?

You can do a wide range of things with Alexa. You can ask it to set you an alarm, map out a plan for your day, tell you the weather and answer a wide range of questions that you have.

We found that the Alexa struggled a little with some complex questions. This is to be expected because it doesn’t have the wealth of technology and knowledge that a Google virtual assistant will have. So don’t expect miracles!

But, you can add “skills” to the device. For example, if you want the device to read news, you can download The Guardian app, which will then allow the Echo to read the news to you. You can set the lighting in a particular way that you like by setting the brightness and color. This is only scraping the surface of what the device can do in your home – as long as you have the smart equipment to do it. Another thing you can do is set the temperature of your home using Nest. Not only that, you can also switch the TV on and ask Alexa to switch to another channel. Pretty neat huh?

Our Overall Verdict

This technology feels like the first version of what will be a truly incredible device for years to come. This is a great first step, and many of you will love the wealth of features that it offers. If you love your “smart” devices, then this will form the basis for your other devices. Oh, and it’s pretty coolto show off to your friends when you want to walk in and change the lights with just your voice!

Advantages include:

The device can hear you from quite far away

Support is excellent, making it easy to ask questions.

You can convert your existing “hifi” into a smart device by connecting it with the Echo.

Disadvantages:

Difficulty understanding complex questions.

Can only link to one Spotify or Amazon account at once, which may not make it suitable for families.